Many devices represent colors of image elements to users for a variety of purposes. These purposes may typically include representing colors of image elements by a device on a display and/or in print. When a given device represents colors to a user, the device typically employs a color space to define each displayed and/or printed color numerically. The color space of a given device may define the range of colors reproducible by that device. Typically, the color space of a given device does not encompass all possible colors, and is therefore, only a subset of all possible colors. As the color space of a given device is typically only a subset of all possible colors, different types of devices, different device models, and/or different manufactures may use varying color spaces.
A given color may be specified or represented in the form of one or more color components, which may be thought of as dimensions in a color space. Each color component may have a numerical color component value and together the color component values may provide information to generate a desired color on an output device. A color space may define the interpretation of the color component values used to represent a color. Examples of color spaces are RGB (Red, Green and Blue) and CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black). For many color spaces, a color may be represented by one to four numbers, one for each dimension or component of the color space.
Different devices often use different color spaces to represent colors, often resulting in the conversion of colors between different color spaces. It may be challenging to accurately represent each displayed and/or printed color numerically as color data in the device color space, so that the colors appear accurate to the eye of a user. For example, the transfer of color data from one device color space to another device color space may result in inaccurate color representation if the color spaces of the two devices are not the same.
Color management often may be used to facilitate the transfer of color data from one device color space to another different device color space. Color management may typically be performed via a color management system (CMS), which may be used to reduce or eliminate color space matching problems and makes color portable. A CMS may reconcile the different color capabilities of cameras, scanners, monitors, and/or printers to ensure consistent color throughout the transfer of color data between various devices. For example, the colors displayed on a monitor may be accurately transferred to a printer. Similarly, color management may permit different applications, devices, and/or operating systems to display colors consistently.
In color managed and colorimetrically accurate CMYK to CMYK conversions, such as those based on International Color Consortium (ICC) profiles, an input CMYK color space may contain pure primary color values. Once color values from an input CMYK color space are converted to an output CMYK color space, the corresponding primary color values may be “muddied” by small amounts of impurities and no longer pure. For example, a pure cyan color value from an input color space may be represented as a vector with multiple color components with a single non-zero color value for the cyan component and zero values for the magenta component, yellow component and black component. However, if such a pure cyan color value from an input color space is converted to an output color space, the converted primary color values may be “muddied” to contain non-zero color values in the magenta component and/or yellow component. In general, this muddying may be attributable to the conversions maintaining the relative correspondence of each color outputted from the output color space at the expense of preserving the purest rendering of each color. For example, the human eye may be much more attuned to recognizing a relative difference between two separate colors in a document than to recognizing if a particular color in a document is pure and/or accurate. In order to please the eye of a user, a conversion from an input CMYK color space to an output CMYK color space may muddy primary color values in order to better maintain the relative correspondence of each color outputted from the output color space.
Reference is made in the following detailed description to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, wherein like numerals may designate like parts throughout to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. It will be appreciated that for simplicity and/or clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and/or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of claimed subject matter. It should also be noted that directions and references, for example, up, down, top, bottom, and so on, may be used to facilitate the discussion of the drawings and are not intended to restrict the application of claimed subject matter. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense and the scope of claimed subject matter defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.